Subject: Media Literacy
Topic: AdvertisingMaterials: examples of fake ads, fake product worksheets
Introductory Activity: (15-20 min)
Show the students examples of fake ads (image or video) and discuss how they try to sell their product. Eg. appealing word choices, images, celebrity endorsement.
Fake Ad Skits (20 min+1 period)
Divide students into groups of 3-4. Give each group a worksheet with a fictional product. They have the rest of the period to devise a fake ad skit, with written script, to (a) describe what the product is and (b) convince the rest of the class to buy it.
Students then present their ads to the class. (following period.)
Assessment:
- Script handed in at the end of period 1.
- Performance of skit:
- Speaking clearly and confidently /4
- Making product appealing /4
- Effort (costumes, props) /4
Write a commercial, in the form of a skit, for this product. It should:
1. tell the audience what your product is
2. convince the audience to buy it.You will act out the skit in front of the class. You will also hand in your script. Make sure all of your group’s names are on the skit.
Comments:
The most difficult part of this lesson was finding examples of fake ads that were school appropriate (many contained profanity). The students enjoyed creating their ads, although some groups had trouble figuring out how to depict their products. Each fake product was a photoshopped image from the Worth1000 website. The element of humor made the exercise interesting for everyone. This lesson could work well in an advanced ESL class; it could also be adapted to things like fake news reports in order to practice specialized styles of language.